Apparatus for grinding card clothing



June 14, 1955 .J. A. BOLGER 2,710,500

PPARATUS FOR GRINDING CARD CLOTHING Filed Sept. 29, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l v Joseph A. Bo/ger v INVENTOR.

June 14, 1955 J. A. BOLGER 2,710,590

APPARATUS FOR GRINDING CARD CLOTHING Filed Sept. 29, 1955- 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

Joseph A. Bolger IN V EN TOR.

BY fin Are June 1955 J. A. BOLGER APPARATUS FOR GRINDING CARD CLOTHING 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 29, 1953 Joseph A; Balger INVENTOR.

Patented June 34, 1955 APPARATUS FUR GRENEENG CARD QLOTHIN'G doseph A. Bolger, Phiiadelphia, Pa.

Application September 2?, 1&53, Serial No. 382,976

7 Clnirnst (Cl. 51-242) This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a process and apparatus for grinding card cloth ing and burnishing Garnett clothing and more specifically pertains to a sharpening and grinding attachment which may be readily applied to existing carding and Garnett machines for grinding the card clothing thereof in an improved and eflicient manner.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a grinding apparatus and a method for sharpening the clothing in a uniform and sharpened condition in readiness for the next period of operation of carding and Garnett machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ap paratus and method in conformity with the preceding object in which are realized the advantages of a flexible or pliable grinding member for sharpening and reconditioning the teeth of card clothing.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus wherein a needle point is applied to the teeth of the card clothing by grinding both sides of the same in contrast with the establishing of a chisel point by conventional grinding apparatuses and methods.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the angle at which the grinder and its abrasive surface engages the teeth of the card clothing may be readily adjusted and may be automatically reversed at the opposite ends of the travel of the grinder.

Yet another object of the invention is to increase the rapidity with which card clothing teeth may be ground by applying thereto an abrasive belt which will conform to the contour of the teeth upon a card cloth of a carding cylinder to thereby increase the surface to which the grinding action is applied.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like nu merals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which the abrasive belt of the grinding apparatus of this invention is operatively associated with the teeth of a carding cylinder cloth for sharpening the same, arrows indicating the direction of travel of the carding cylinder and of the abrasive belt;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view taken substantially at right angles to Figure 1 and showing the manner in which the abrasive belt presses and bends the teeth of the card clothing as it grinds the same;

Figure 3 is top plan view of the grinding apparatus in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical central longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 55 of Figure 3 and showing in particular the manner in which the carriage of the grinding device is connected to a traversing chain for movement along a card cylinder for grinding the cloth of the same;

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional detail view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 6-6 of Figure 3 and showing the manner in which the supporting framework of the grinding apparatus is locked in angularly adjusted position upon its supporting carriage;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the apparatus of Figure 3, showing the position of the grinding device and its carriage when the same are moved to the left end of the supporting rails and at the moment of unlatching the device from the carriage for reversing the angular adjustment of the same preparatory to travel in a reverse direction of the grinder across the card cloths;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 8-8 of Figure 7 and showing the position of the latching mechanism at the instant of unlatching the same;

Figure 9 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the apparatus taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the broken section line 9-9 of Figure 3;

Figure 10 is an end elevational view of the grinder forming a part of the apparatus;

Figure 11 is a top plan view of the arrangement of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a detail view taken in vertical section substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line l2l2 of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the carriage forming the movable support of the grinding device;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary elevational view of the chain for imparting traversing movement to the grinder;

Figure 15 is an elevational view upon an enlarged scale of one of the teeth of the card clothing when sharpened in accordance with this invention, the view being taken from the side of a tooth; and

Figure 16 is a plan view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 16-16 of Figure 15 and showing in plan the shape of a sharpened tooth in accordance with this invention.

Carding machines have cylinders which are covered with card clothing. This clothing is customarily a fillet made of several layers of cloth glued together and in which wire needles are inserted, the wire fillet being wound in a spiral around the various cylinders of carding machines The wire needles are used to comb or card cotton, woolen fibers and for the napping of cloth. After these machines have been in operation for some time, the wire teeth or card clothing becomes dull and the points must be reground so that the same will be sharof uniform length and uniformly positioned upon the cloth for the most effective operation of the machine.

Among the conventional mechanisms now employed for sharpening the points of the wire needies are transverse grinders which are attached to the framework of the carding machine and which traverse the machine from one end to the other to sharpen the wire points as the cylinder with card clothing thereon is revolved. This type of grinder customarily employs a wheel covered with an abrasive. Since carding machines are of various widths, as from 40 to 84 inches, and since great care must be taken that the grinding wheel is not positioned with too much force against the wi e points, which would otherwise burn or hook the points, and must engage each of the points in a uniform manner in order that the sharpening may be uniform for the entire clothing, it is obvious that considerable time, anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, is usually required.

In the present invention, instead of an abrasive wheel being employed, it is intended to employ an abrasive belt of a flexible nature which will conform to and bend about the arcuate surface of the card clothing to establish a grinding contact over a greater surface of that clothing at a given instant; to equalize the pressure upon the needle points of the clothing; and which will facilitate the replacement of the abrasive belt when the latter has become worn, this representing a great saving over the customary practice which usually requires hours to recover the abrasive wheel heretofore employed.

It is a further important feature of this invention to grind the wire needle points from both sides of the Wire tooth from the back to the front to thus provide a tapering or needle-like point in contrast with the previous manner of sharpening which resulted in a chisel point.

It is still another important feature of the invention to provide means to vary the angle or taper which are applied to the two sides of the wire point when sharpening the same to a needle point.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated one suitable embodiment for a carrying out the principles of this invention, it will be seen that the apparatus includes a pair of horizontally disposed parallel supporting rails 19 which are rigidly connected together as by cross members 12 adjacent the opposite ends of the same to thus provide a rigid supporting structure. This supporting frame has slidably mounted thereon a carriage indicated generally by the numeral 14 and of a construction shown in Figures 7, 9 and 13. The carriage, in turn, has adjustably mounted thereon the card clothing sharpening or grinding apparatus indicated generally by the numeral 16, see also Figures 10, ll and 12.

The supporting framework including the rails 10 is adapted to be mounted upon the frame of any conventional carding machine. Since the support by which the apparatus is mounted upon a carding machine will vary with the particular type of carding machine, and since the present invention relates to the apparatus itself and not to any particular manner of mounting the same upon a carding machine, it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate such mounting in these drawings. It is merely to be understood that any suitable mounting will be provided whereby the apparatus may be detachably secured to any conventional carding machine for operative association with the carding cylinders of the same.

The carriage 14 includes a flat plate 18 comprising a table or shelf of generally rectangular shape which is provided at its four corners with hangers 20 extending upwardly therefrom and apertured for sliding engagement upon the pair of rails 10. The grinding device 16 likewise inciudes a flat plate 22 which slidably engages the underside of the carriage plate 18, being pivotally secured thereto as by a pivot bolt 24 in the manner shown in Figure 9. By means of this pivot bolt the plate 22 may be oscillated relative to the plate 18 about the vertical axis of the pivot bolt 24 for a purpose and by a means to be substantially described.

Rising from the plate 18 is a fulcrum or supporting lug upon which is journaled or pivoted by means of a pivot pin 28 a pair of latch levers 30. Intermediate their ends, the latch levers have downwardly projecting latching fingers 32 which are adapted to extend through slots 34, see also Figure 13, in the carriage plate 18. The plate 22 is provided with latching recesses or apertures 36 each of which is adapted to register with one of the slots 34 in oppositely pivoted positions of the carriage plate 13 thereon. Thus, one of the latching levers is adapted to pass through a slot 34 into one of the apertures 36 in one of the pivoted positions of the plate 22 relative to the plate 18, as for cxampie, that shown in Figures 3 and 6; the other latch being disengaged from its latching recess 36 which is not in register with its slot.

Alternatively, when the plates are reversely shifted, the other latch is adapted to engage through its slot the site direction.

K associated recess 36 to thereby latch the grinding device in its other position of operation.

Springs 38 are secured to each of the latch levers to yieldingly urge the same into their latching positions. The arms of the levers extend upwardly and outwardly from the carriage plate 18 and into a position whereby they will engage the cross members 12 when the carriage reaches either end of its travel along these rails, so that the pressure of the carriage moving towards the cross members 12 will cause the corresponding latch lever to be lifted against the action of the spring 38 thereby withdrawing the latching finger 32 from the latched engagement as in Figure 6 to the unlatched position as in Figure 8. As will be readily understood, the other latch lever will be released when the carriage moves to the other end of its travel upon the rails and the other latch lever engages the other cross member 12.

The slots 34 and the latching recesses 36 are so positioned that only one slot and recess can register, this registration occurring when the supporting plate 22 of the grinding device is tilted at a selected angle to either side of the medial transverse axis of the carriage plate 18. This angle may range from 15 to degrees as desired.

As so far described, it will be observed that the plate 22 and consequently the grinding device carried thereby as set forth hereinafter will be positioned at one angle with respect to this transverse medial axis of the carriage plate 18 as the carriage travels in one direction along the tracks 10, and will be shifted at a reverse angle to the other side of the medial axis when the carriage travels in the opposite direction.

Once the latch levers have been released as set forth above, the angle which the transverse medial axes of the two plates 18 and 22 make with each other is reversed automatically. For this purpose there are provided a pair of brackets or supporting arms 40 which are slidably mounted upon one of the rails 10 and are adjustably secured thereto as by means of set screws 42. At their outer ends the members 40 slidingly receive a shifter rod 44, see in particular Figures 3 and 4, which have actuating heads 46 thereon and are surrounded by compression springs 48. Adjusting nuts 50 at the ends of these rods limit movement of the rods towards each other under the influence of their compression springs. These rods are positioned in alignment with each other and with their heads 46 disposed for abutment by a laterally extending lug 52 which is carried by the plate 22, see Figure 9, so that as the carriage approaches one end of its travel, the lug 52 will engage a head 46 of one of the rods 44 and compress the spring 48 thereof, as shown in Figure 7. Just as the carriage reaches the end of its travel, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the latch will be released by its engagement with the cross member 12 as above described thereby withdrawing the latching finger 32 from the registering slot and recess. At this time the parts are in the position shown in Figure 8. Immediately thereafter, the compression of the spring 48 will urge the actuating rod 44 and its head 46 inwardly and will thereby shift the plate 22 about the pivot pin 24 and relative to the plate 13 to the reverse position, whereupon the other latch under the action of its spring 38 will drop into latching position of its registering slot and recess 34 and 36, whereupon the parts are in position for travel of the device along the tracks 10 in the oppo- Upon the completion of its travel in the opposite direction the above described operation is repeated and the angular position of the grinder upon the carriage is again returned to its first position.

It will thus be seen that by this mechanism the grinder is automatically reversed at the end of each direction of its travel along the tracks whereby the direction of travel of the abrasive surface of the grinder will reverse the angle which it makes with the teeth being sharpened as set forth hereinafter.

In order to assist in guiding the arcuate movement of the plates 18 and 22 relative to each other, the plate 22 is provided with an upstanding guide pin 54 which is slidably received in an arcuate slot 56 in the carriage plate 18.

In order to cause a traversing movement of the carriage and the grinder carried thereby upon the rails 10 and relative to the card clothing of the carding cylinder, there is provided, see also Figure 5, a sprocket chain 58 which is entrained over a supporting sprocket 60 and a driving sprocket 62, the latter having a beveled driving gear 64 thereon. These sprockets are journaled upon vertical shafts 66 and 63, carried by brackets 70 and 72 which, 1

in turn, are adjustably mounted upon the cross members 12.

As best shown in Figures 4 and 5, power is applied to the driving sprockets 64 by means of a lay shaft 74 journaled in a suitable bearing 76 carried by the bracket 72 and having a beveled gear 78 engaged with the beveled gear 64. At its other end the shaft 74 has a pulley 80 by means of which power from any suitable source may be supplied to the sprocket chain. Conveniently, this pulley 80 may be driven from the card clothing cylinder of which the card clothing is being treated by this grinding apparatus, in any suitable manner. Since the actual driving means for the pulley 80 forms in itself no essential part of the present invention, a further description of the same appears to be unnecessary.

Carried by one of the links of the sprocket chain, as shown in Figures 9, and 14, is a vertically disposed depending pin 82 which is slidably received in a transversely disposed slot 84 in a bracket 86 mounted upon the top of the carriage plate 18. By this means it will be apparent that continuous rotation of the chain will result in reciprocating movement of the carriage through the engagement of the pin 82 in the slot 34 of the carriage.

The grinding device preferably includes its own source of power which is entirely independent of the power applied to operate the sprocket chain $3. Thus, as shown in Figure 10, an electric motor or the like 88 is secured to the underside of the plate 22 and is connected as by a belt or chain drive 90 to a driving roller 92 journaled between a pair of supporting plates 94 which are dependently carried by the plate 22. For that purpose, the roller 92 may conveniently be provided with a pulley or sprocket wheel 96. The plates 94 also have journaled therebetween an idler roller 98 and a further slack takeup roller 100. The latter roller, as shown best in Figures and 12, has its axle or shaft 102 vertically slidable in slots 104 in the plates 94 and carried by a pair of slides 106 which, in turn, are vertically slotted as at 108 to receive an adjustable fastening bolt 110. By this means, the slack take-up roller 100 may be raised or lowered to thereby tension a belt 112 which is entrained over these three rollers.

As shown in Figure l, the arrangement is such that the belt 112 has its vertical flight 114 disposed in engagement with the wire teeth 116 upon the card clothing 118 carried by the carding cylinder 120. The carding cylinder in normal operation rotates in a direction indicated by the arrow 122, while the abrading flight 114 of the belt 112 moves in a direction indicated by the arrow 124, this being an opposite direction from that of the carding cylinder. In operation, the carding cylinder is rotated under its own power while the electric motor 88, in turn, rotates the abrasive belt 112 at preferably a much greater surface speed of travel than that of the wire teeth of the card clothing.

The operation of the device is as follows. With the carding cylinder operated by its own power means in the usual manner of a carding machine, power is applied therefrom to the lay shaft 74 thus producing rotation of the sprocket chain 58 and causing traversing movement of the carriage of the grinding device along the length of the carding cylinder. This traversing movement is, of course, at a sufliciently slow speed to enable the grinding device to effectively treat and shape each of the teeth.

To facilitate such grinding action, the abrasive belt itself moves at a much greater speed than that of the card clothing and it will be observed that the pressure of the belt against the card clothing cylinder produces an arcuate shape in the flight 114 of the belt causing it to yieldably engage the teeth of the clothing thus causing the abrasive surface of the belt to engage over a relatively large circumferential extent of the cylinder. As suggested in Figure 2, the pressure of the belt portion 114 against the clothing teeth will bend or flex the same, applying a uniform pressure thereagainst. Owing to the angular inclination of the grinding device with respect to its carriage, the traverse of the same in one direction along the card cylinder will produce a beveled surface 126 at an angle to the longitudinal axis of a tooth, while travel in the opposite direction will produce a reversed beveled surface 128, as shown in Figures 15 and 16. The angles which these beveled surfaces make to each other will, of course, be determined by the angular shift of the grinding device upon its carriage during its travel in opposite directions upon the tracks 19.

Without this angular disposition and angular shift of the grinding device the tooth would simply be beveled off to provide a substantially rectangular chisel-shaped ground surface or point in contrast with the tapering needlelike point of Figures 15 and 16. The improved shape of the sharpened tooth produced by this invention results in a sharper tooth, and one which will remain sharper for longer periods during the wearing down of the same in operation.

As above mentioned, the angle of the grinder with respect to the clothing is preferably 1545. This angle may be predetermined by the position of the registering apertures, recesses or slots 34, 36. It is preferred, however, to provide for adjustment of this angle, and to that purpose additional adjustment openings 37 and 39 are provided. The openings 36, 37 and 39 permit adjustments of 15, 30 and 45 respectively in either direction from the perpendicular position of the grinder. Alternativeiy other or additional angular arrangements of the adjusting openings may be provided. Blind setscrews disposed in the openings permit the latches to fall in only the selected opening.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An apparatus for grinding and sharpening the teeth of card clothing, while the latter is mounted upon the carding cylinder comprising an abrasive belt, means mounting said belt whereby one flight thereof will yieldingly engage the carding teeth, means for driving said belt, means for positioning said abrasive belt in contact with the teeth of clothing at a predetermined angle relative to the axis of rotation of the carding cylinder and clothing, means independent of the belt driving means for reciprocatingly moving said belt longitudinally of said cylinder for sharpening the teeth of the clothing.

2. An apparatus for grinding and sharpening the teeth of card clothing, while the latter is mounted upon the carding cylinder comprising an abrasive belt, means for driving said belt, means for positioning said abrasive belt in contact with the teeth of clothing at a predetermined angle relative to the carding cylinder and clothing, means for reciprocatingly moving said belt longitudinally of said cylinder for sharpening the teeth of the clothing, means for reversing the angle of the belt relative to the cylinder each time the movement of the belt longitudinally of the cylinder is reversed.

3. An apparatus for grinding and sharpening the teeth of card clothing, while the latter is mounted upon the carding cylinder comprising an abrasive belt, means mounting said belt whereby one flight thereof will yieldingly engage the carding teeth, means for driving said belt, means for positioning said abrasive belt in contact with the teeth of clothing at a predetermined angle relative to the axis of rotation of the carding cylinder and clothing, means independent of the belt driving means for reciprocatingly moving said belt longitudinally of said cylinder for sharpening the teeth of the clothing, said moving means being adapted for operation by rotation of the carding cylinder.

4. An apparatus for grinding and sharpening the teeth of card clothing while the latter is mounted upon the carding cylinder which comprises; a support adapted to be mounted upon a carding machine in operative prox imity to the carding cylinder, a carriage mounted upon said support for reciprocating movement longitudinally of the carding cylinder, a grinding device mounted on said carriage for travel therewith and having an abrasive belt with a flight thereof disposed for constant yieldable engagement with the card clothing, means on said carriage for driving said belt, means independent of said belt driving means for imparting longitudinal reciprocating travel to said carriage.

5. An apparatus for grinding and sharpening the teeth of card clothing While the latter is mounted upon the carding cylinder which comprises; a support adapted to be mounted upon a carding machine in operative proximity to the carding cylinder, a carriage mounted upon said support for reciprocating movement longitudinally of the carding cylinder, a grinding device mounted on said carriage for travel therewith and having an abrasive belt disposed for constant engagement with the card clothing, means on said carriage for driving said belt, means for imparting longitudinal reciprocating travel to said carriagc, means for pivoting said grinding device upon said carriage for varying the angle of the belt relative to the card clothing.

6. The combination of claim 5, including latch means for maintaining the grinding device in alternative pivoted position.

7. The combination of claim 5 including latch means for maintaining the grinding device in alternative pivoted position, means for releasing the latch means at each end of the travel of the carriage and means for causing pivoting of the grinding device when said last means is actuated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10,643 Smith et al. Mar. 14, 1854 581,787 Strickley May 4, 1897 662,742 Roy Nov. 27, 1900 1,110,804 Little Sept. 15, 1914 2,221,173 Gutsell Nov. 12, 1940 

